Cinema Honey

PARIAH

One summer afternoon, my friend, Pam and I visited the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library on Long Island, NY. On Wednesday afternoon the library conducts a free screening of recently award winning films, many you have heard of, in the library’s upscale theatrical screening room. We attended the screening of a film titled: Pariah.

Pariah, is a feature about a female teen’s fear of coming out to her homophobic mother starring an all Black cast, filmed on location in Brooklyn, New York.
Pam and I arrive at 2:45 in the afternoon for a 3pm showing and the auditorium is nearly full; its audience: the majority are White, average age of 70; gray or blue haired geriatrics; walkers, canes, peppermint candy and medicinal scents in the air; a retirees’ celluloid paradise. With Pam and I on the ledges between 38 and 55, we aren’t too perturbed to be the youngest women in the room.

We find very comfortable seats and after 10 minutes of a documentary on the golden age of cinema. The lights go down, the red curtain opens and the film starts.

ACT 1; SCENE 1 INT – BAR (NIGHT)

A loud, darkly lit, but colorful dance bar, full of female patrons. On the bar is nearly naked African-American young women gyrating their nether regions in the faces of other young Black, rather, butch looking females waving dollar bills. The soundtrack pulses to a rap beat with the vocalist chanting “LICK IT. GET THAT P*&SY! Close up of g-stringed asses and big brown breasts. CUT TO

The film lets you know what it’s about in the first frame. The narrative introduces us to 17 year old, Alike (Adepero Oduye) as she tries to find her place in hetero society, especially in her home with her strict, religious mother (Kim Wayans) who can give Carrie’s mom a scare. The film shows hard women, bi curious young girls, the film has a few tender, sweet moments and doesn’t differ from anyone else’s experiences of social isolation, the excitement of first sex, and heart rendering disappointment of loved ones.

Curses, same sex flirtations, tough acting and masculine females continue within the first 30 minutes of the film. Pam whispers to me, “I’m sorry I didn’t know there was so much cursing in this.” I wave her off. Then I notice a patch of bright light filtering into the auditorium following by the clacking of the metal doors. Little by little, a few geriatrics exit the screening room.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!

As the film continues, Act 2, Scene 2, fades in with a close up of Alike’s lower body, fully dressed in hoodie and jeans, modeling a large White flesh colored phallus strap on and she’s disappointed. Alike, irritated, asks her butch best friend, Laura, “Didn’t they have any Black ones?” A few daring and open minded audience members laughed, Pam and I included. Seconds later the laughter subsides, its replaced by the sound of metal walkers bumping against aisle seats, shuffling feet and the hushed tones of “Excuse me,” “I had no idea,” Where’s the exit?” as the gray haired crowd made a mass exodus out of the auditorium. Minutes later the house lights came back on, the DVD stopped and the middle aged Blonde curator stands in the front of the aisles and profusely apologizes for not having seen the film before the showing. She then asks for a raise of hands in agreement to either continue the film or replace it with some lousy Katherine Heigl film?

Out of 40 people left, about nine people – including Pam, Carol and I – opted to continue the Pariah, but the majority voted for Katherine. Now it will take a while to find out of Alike mom’s accepts her daughter’s lesbianism, is Alike’s bi-curious girlfriend –who Alike’s mother unknowingly set Alike up with – sincere or a heartbreaker? Will Alike’s dad just openly acknowledge his daughter’s alternative lifestyle?

Obviously, Pariah is not for everyone. The film is now on Netflix. I give the film 3 Cinema Bees.

PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE PUBLIC LIBRARY 999 Old Country Road, Plainview, New York 11803 Phone: (516) 938-0077 Fax: (516) 433-4645 www.poblib.org